Supports for disabled artists are vital for their wellbeing (Participant experience)

Submission to the National Disability Insurance Scheme Amendment

(Securing the NDIS for Future Generations) Bill 2026

Emeritus Professor Andrew Downing

Kingswood, South Australia

1 June 2026

My submission is informed by my long-standing connections with organisations providing services for disabled and neurodivergent people, my professional R&D activities into technology for disability and ageing, and my role as an informal guardian and carer. My experiences as a volunteer include:

Technology for Ageing and Disability SA: Cofounder (1978)
Novita Children’s Services: Board member 1995-2016, President 2008-14
Tutti Arts: Board member 2015-current date, President 2015-24. Key recommendations

Ensure assessments consider the combined impact of multiple functional impairments rather than assessing impairments in isolation.
Recognise arts participation and artistic development as legitimate social, community and economic participation outcomes.
Ensure disability arts organisations have equitable access to funding through the Inclusive Communities Fund.
Preserve access to reasonable and necessary supports that enable disabled artists to participate in creative practice and community life.
Increase consultation with disabled people, families and disability organisations before implementation of major reforms.

Introduction

While I support the Amendment Bill’s aim “to return the NDIS to its original intent—providing lifetime supports for Australians with permanent and significant disability”, I have serious concerns about the ways in which the proposed changes might adversely affect aspiring disabled artists.

The role of the arts in disability

Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, affirm that governments must ensure people with disability have the opportunity to:

Be creative
Make art
Learn and develop artistic skill Disabled people have a unique perspective on life. Through their artistic expressions, they can give voice to this, and make valuable contributions to society. Support for disabled artists, and an appreciation and respect for their often latent talents, are powerful ways in which we can become a more inclusive society.

Tutti Arts – where extraordinary art is created Tutti Arts Inc is South Australia’s leading multi-arts organisation for learning-disabled and neurodivergent artists. Formed in 1997, Tutti currently supports 240 participants who have chosen Tutti to provide services through their NDIS plans. I have been associated with Tutti for the past 25 years as a community member of the Tutti Choir, and for the past 12 years as a Board member. I personally know many of Tutti’s 240 current artist participants and former participants and I have seen how their involvement at Tutti has transformed their lives.

Participants have become more confident, articulate and assertive, enjoying the freedom of expression which art has given them. Tutti provides a safe, supportive environment – a place many regard as their second home. There is a strong social atmosphere and behavioural concerns have diminished. There is a need to sustain participants’ multifaceted supports as they continue their lifelong journey. My expectation is that, true to its original aim, the NDIS will continue to provide these necessary supports.

Social, community and civic participation support I note with concern the Minister’s statements in the second reading of the Bill that, with spending in this area having tripled to $12 billion in 5 years, “The use of support determinations will stabilise growth in funding for certain groups of supports”. Tutti participants rely on social and community participation supports to access structured programs, enhance their independence and strengthen community connections. Tutti provides further assistance (funded philanthropically) to participants building employment pathways. In developing the artistic skills of learning disabled and neurodivergent people, Tutti addresses each and every artist participant’s needs holistically. I am very concerned that a participant’s eligibility may be based on selective assessment of multiple functional impairments. Their actual situation is invariably more nuanced and complex. Functional impairments rarely operate independently. Their cumulative impact may be substantially greater than the sum of individual impairments. Assessment processes must therefore consider the person’s overall capacity to participate in daily life, employment, education, relationships and community activities. A similar argument is put forward by Tutti Arts in its own submission on this Amendment Bill “with multiple, intersecting impairments (e.g. intellectual disability combined with psychosocial or sensory impairments), [artists’] ability to participate depends on holistic, responsive supports, not isolated criteria”.

Tutti’s artists Tutti’s artist participants have functional impairments that are often lifelong; they are NOT a problem to be fixed. Their needs are often complex and ongoing, and the supports they receive must be ongoing. Without these supports, participants’ hopes and aspirations will be dashed, their mental health will decline, and they will regress. This must not be allowed to happen. Participants have personal goals and aspirations to develop and harness their artistic talents. Tutti’s professional artists and support staff assist them to develop skills in the imagination, creation and production of works in their chosen artforms. Participants experiment and are encouraged to take artistic risks. Participation in the arts also contributes to economic and social outcomes. Artists develop communication, teamwork, self-management and vocational skills. Participants are encouraged and supported to connect with community audiences and express themselves through their art, whether it be public exhibitions of visual works, or performances of music, song, theatre or dance. Some generate income through the sale of artwork, performances and related employment opportunities.

Arts practice Through the programs run by Tutti, a number of outstanding artists have emerged.

The work of the visual artists is in high demand by galleries, corporations and individuals.
Tutti has been active in supporting disability-led collectives. Performances are highly praised. While generating pathways to employment, identity, and inclusion, the development of arts practice is critical to these groups’ successes. If these high quality artists are to reach their potential, it is vital that supports for their development and growth be seen as both reasonable and necessary, and that they be adequately funded.

Artists see themselves as valued members of society and contributors to our community through their creative expression. Their audiences do too!

Inclusive Communities Fund

The government has proposed to “establish a $200 million Inclusive Communities Fund (ICF) to rebuild capability among community organisations so NDIS participants have new options to genuinely participate in their local community”. I am concerned that these funds will go mainly towards initiatives, such as sport, which have high visibility. Creativity is not a luxury. It’s an ability we all innately possess. The arts is a creative pursuit that can be open to all. The making of art is to be enjoyed and its outcomes celebrated. The arts sector should be explicitly recognised as an eligible priority area within the Inclusive Communities Fund. Without such recognition, there is a risk that disability arts initiatives will be disadvantaged relative to larger and more visible sectors. The arts must be an integral part of the ICF initiative as they provide an effective way for disabled people to have a voice, and for our communities to become more inclusive.

General issues Respite for individuals, carers, and families If tighter eligibility criteria or reduced support levels result from the proposed reforms, there will be a significantly increased load placed on disabled individuals, their carers and their families. It is essential that there be an increase in the provision of respite for the individual, for their carers, and for their families. Effective respite assists families to sustain long-term caring relationships and helps prevent carer burnout, family breakdown and premature entry into more intensive forms of support. The nature, form and place of the respite, and the activities available, must be sufficient to ensure that the respite is both effective and enjoyable, providing real opportunities to “recharge the batteries”. To be fully effective, respite opportunities (including emergency respite) should be reliable, person centred, and include several of the following, as required:

•   (Accessible) Accommodation                  •   Excursions and day trips

•   Provision for one or more overnight stays        •  Outings and experiences

•   Travel supports                               •   Social connections and friendships

Carer supports

Furthermore,

Respite for disabled individuals, their carers, and their families should be readily available multiple times each year.
Respite funding for each occasion should include funding for selected appropriate rest and recreation activities.
Particular consideration should be given to ageing carers, whose own health, mobility and support needs may increase over time. Effective respite is not merely a break from caring responsibilities. It provides disabled people with opportunities for social connection, independence, skill development and community participation, while enabling carers and families to sustain their caring roles and maintain their own health and wellbeing. Accessible, flexible and reliable respite services are therefore an essential component of a sustainable disability support system.

Community participation Disabled persons wish to participate in a wide range of community and socialising activities, and to exercise choices. These activities will include, but not be limited to:

•   Sporting events                               •   Excursions, day trips and experiences

•   Cultural events                               •   Parks, museums, exhibitions, and public

•  Entertainment events                          spaces

For participation or attendance at many of these activities, a disabled person’s functional impairment will prevent them from taking part without assistance. It is critical that reasonable and necessary funding be available to them to exercise their right to attend and participate in activities of their choice.

Key recommendations:

Ensure assessments consider the combined impact of multiple functional impairments rather than assessing impairments in isolation.
Recognise arts participation and artistic development as legitimate social, community and economic participation outcomes.
Ensure disability arts organisations have equitable access to funding through the Inclusive Communities Fund.
Preserve access to reasonable and necessary supports that enable disabled artists to participate in creative practice and community life.
Increase consultation with disabled people, families and disability organisations before implementation of major reforms.

Final comments I have witnessed the extraordinary impact that Tutti’s arts programs have had on the lives of learning disabled and neurodivergent people. I have read the submission by Tutti Arts’ General Manager and fully support the statements within it. It is imperative that the proposed changes to the Bill, and the manner in which the NDIS operates, do not negate the human rights of disabled people to create art. Our society is richer for the remarkable contributions they make.

Next steps I was disappointed by the very short time frame for people to respond the proposed NDIS Amendment Bill. This will have limited the ability of many disabled people and their carers and family members to respond. I hope that there will be an extension of time for submissions to be received and taken into account. I welcome the opportunity to contribute further during the consultation period. The present publicised arrangements are restrictive, however, with face-to-face consultations scheduled only for Canberra, Sydney and Melbourne, and none in regional Australia. This is both unfair and rather ironic after Minister Mark Butler noted ‘Nothing about us, without us’ in his speech at the National Press Club on 20 August 2025. It is imperative that more opportunities for consultation be provided. The NDIS is a great concept for supporting disabled people, improving their lives, and restoring their inclusion and dignity. While wider consultation may delay the final outcome, it is important that we get these changes right. I urge the Committee and Parliament to ensure that reforms designed to improve the sustainability of the NDIS do not inadvertently diminish the opportunities, aspirations and contributions of people with disability. Fiscal sustainability and social inclusion should be pursued together. The success of the NDIS should be measured not only by expenditure, but also by the extent to which people with disability are able to live meaningful, creative and connected lives.

Andrew Downing 1 June 2026